Brothers in all but Blood
by toorealreality
Summary: AU. Gaara runs away from Suna and meets Naruto in Konoha. Sasuke doesn't grow up wanting to be an avenger. Naruto isn't as dense as he seems. Naruto actually learns in the academy. What if they became friends instead of enemies? What affect would this bring to the shinobi world? Watch as they face trials together as brothers in all but blood. [Naruhina, SasuSaku, ShikaTema]
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. Naruto and all its characters belongs to Kishimoto Masashi

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**Chapter 1**

A light breeze ran through the village hidden in the sand, ruffling the red hair of a little seven-year-old boy. He sat on a swing by himself watching as the other children played with a ball laughing and having fun. The little boy sighed to himself, he yearned to play with the other kids but they all run away from him calling him a monster, a demon. He was shunned not only by the children but the whole village.

The boy looked up as the ball rolled by next to him. Standing up he picked up the ball and hesitantly held out the ball towards the children wishing he could play with them.

The other kids froze, glanced at each other and wondered how to get their ball back without having to get near the monster, when suddenly one kid shouted, "Hey, give us our ball back you demon! Stay away from us! Go away! No one wants to play with a monster!" followed with a chorus of "Yeah!" of agreement from the other children.

Their insults and unwillingness to play with him struck his heart to the core. They were never going to change, no one was. They all hated him for some reason. _Why do they hate me? What did I do?_ He thought miserably; it nearly brought him tears. Impatiently, the kids ignored the pain and loneliness in his teal eyes, and started to pick up rocks and started hurl them at the little boy.

The redheaded boy looked up in fear, not at the thought of getting hurt, but at their inevitable reaction when they'd witness what was about to happen.

"Wait! Don't!" he shouted and tried to avoid the incoming projectiles but there was too many to dodge them all. Automatically and out of his control, sand rushed around him blocking every single rock the kids had thrown. They stood rooted in place in shock and terror.

"You really are a monster! Run!" the same kid as before screamed and ran away with the others, their game forgotten.

The boy slouched and sat on the sandy ground in misery and tried to contain his tears. He clutched the ball to himself as if it could relieve him of his pain and suffering. He watched as they all ran and disappeared…all but one.

A young girl hesitated. She wasn't sure what to do, to run and listen to what the others had said or play with the boy. He had seemed nice enough; she had seemed him a couple times and just thought he was lonely. Despite his non-threatening demeanor, the sand that swirled around him protectively, responding to his fear was very unsettling to her. She was shaken at what she had just seen and her body urged her to run.

The red headed boy gazed at the girl. The young girl, who seemed a year younger than the others, looked probably around six years old. She had short brown hair to her shoulders and brown eyes, which were looking at him with a look of indecision. He looked at her with a hopeful look in his eyes. Maybe she would play with him, even if no one else would.

Hesitantly she asked, "What's your name? I'm Matsuri."

Nervously he answered, "My name is Gaara. Do you want to play with me?" He asked towards the ground. He kept his gaze on the ball in his lap and waited for her to reject his offer. His sand disappeared and Matsuri relaxed and nodded her head nervously.

Just as Gaara began to hope he might actually have a friend, a civilian woman strolled by and saw Matsuri talking to Gaara and rushed to her and pulled her a couple yards further away yelling, "Stay away from her you demon!" Matsuri was shocked at hearing the woman's words. She never officially met him before and never saw the treatment he received from the villagers until today.

The woman turned to Matsuri and held her by the shoulders. "Run home now child! Avoid him at all costs! You hear me? Never talk to this demon ever again you got that! Now run!" The woman all but shrieked.

Matsuri, frightened, did as she was told and ran, as did the civilian woman as well. She looked back at Gaara sitting back on the swing all alone again as she rounded the corner and continued home, guilt consuming her conscience.

Gaara sat back on his swing and picked up his brown teddy bear he brought with him earlier and hugged himself tighter and finally let the tears pour.

* * *

Gaara trudged slowly down the road, still upset from the incident in the morning. News spread quickly around the village like wild fire and reached the ears of the Yondaime Kazekage.

**_Flashback_**

The Kazekage summoned Gaara and coldly scolded him for scaring the villagers, as if he had purposely tried to frighten them. Gaara remained silent knowing there was nothing he could say to make things any better.

"You got that? I don't want to have to repeat this conversation again, understood?" the Kazekage stated.

Gaara bowed and said, "Understood Father."

"Good, dismissed" he said waving him away and continued his paperwork, frowning at the document in front of him.

**_End of Flashback_**

It was pretty dark out, nearly midnight. He jumped up onto a roof and watched the stars and moon, wishing he had a better life. Nights like these all he wanted was to curl up in a ball and cry. _No one loves me. Nobody wants to be my friend or play with me. I wish I had a mother, a father that cared about me, a brother and sister who aren't afraid of me. Uncle Yashamaru is nice enough but he's always so distant lately. Nobody cares about me. And most of all _

_I wish I could dream. If I could dream then I could pretend I had friends, and a family that loves me._

Deep in thought Gaara didn't notice the shinobi that snuck up on him and threw a kunai at his head. Gaara's sand shot up quickly and deflected the kunai. The ninja cursed and tried again throwing a volley of shuriken at Gaara which again was intercepted by his sand. Gaara sighed and thought, _Not again._

By the time Gaara was five, the council had ordered Gaara to be trained and wanted him to be Suna's ultimate weapon. Gaara was a tool that would make the village even more powerful in strength and in political influence. Too young to really understand what that would mean he tried to do what he was asked of.

Over one year of crammed studying, Gaara was as knowledgeable as a newly graduated genin of Suna. When Gaara turned six, he was assigned personal jonin instructors to train him and mold him into their perfect weapon. In time the council soon realized that Gaara was not in complete control of the power he held inside of him. His automatic sand was proof of that; the sand protected him without even having to think about it. If he couldn't control its power, than he was a threat to the village.

Since that realization, the Kazekage hired ninja to try to kill Gaara. Dozens tried and nothing worked. Sneaking up on him didn't work because of his automatic sand would deflect any attack. Each assassination attempt ended the same as well; each hired ninja ultimately ended up dead. This attempt wouldn't be any different.

As he sat up Gaara made a decision. _The village wants me dead. My own father wants me dead. No one will miss me. I might as well disappear._ Sand shot out on its own accord and much too swiftly for the ninja to counterattack with a ninjutsu and it covered him completely in sand. The ninja was encased in sand that put so much pressure on his body that the ninja didn't register the pain before there was a rain of blood. Gaara's sand shielded him from the falling blood and he stared as the blood started to pool in the gutter of the building. _More bloodshed because of me._ He lamented.

_Am I really a monster? I've killed so many ninja. But they were trying to kill me! I-I had to protect myself. No, I'm not really a demon right? But everyone treats me like I am._ Gaara continued with his internal struggle lost himself in his own world. As a result he failed to notice a figure slowly approaching him.

"Hello Gaara." The stranger said.

Gaara quickly snapped out of his stupor and turned around in surprise. He was usually alone at this time of night, save for the occasional assassination attempt. He looked up to see his uncle Yashamaru. He was dressed in his jounin outfit. Black shinobi pants; black long sleeve shirt, black shinobi sandals and a brown jounin vest with his headband engraved with Suna's s elbem, tied to his upper left arm. Yashamaru walked up to Gaara and crouched down and looked at him face to face.

"What are you doing?" Gaara asked. He could feel the tension in the atmosphere. It was suffocating and he struggled to focus.

"I'm on a mission." He stated. His face was blank and void of any emotion.

"Then what are you doing here?" He felt- no almost _knew,_ that something was about to happen and it wasn't good. His teal eyes surveyed his surroundings, looking for a possible escape route.

Yashamaru stood up, turned around and looked at the now full moon and stars, and discretely pulled out a special tag given to him for this moment. Unbeknownst to _him_, Gaara made a sand clone and performed a _kawarimi no jutsu_ with it and hid in the shadows. Yashamaru did not react in any way. Any skilled shinobi would have noticed the obvious spike of chakra. Either Yashamaru wasn't as skilled as his rank portrayed or Yashamaru decided to ignore it.

Gaara watched in shock and disbelief at what he was seeing from his hiding spot. Yashamaru was preparing some kind of special tag. Gaara never got far into his training to learn about any sort of tags, but he recognized some of the kanji on the seal and knew that whatever it did would probably try to mess up his chakra...or explode.

His sand had the capability to deflect and kind of offensive attack. If they took away his chakra then even his sand would slow down enough for one to land a blow, and if precise could be fatal. He had noticed this during his training and Gaara was starting to fear for the worst.

Yashamaru turned back around keeping the tag behind him and crouched down in front of the clone. "Well my mission is…" Gaara almost forgot the question he had asked earlier. "Well my mission… is to kill you."

Gaara suspected it but now that he confirmed it he felt betrayed, hurt, and scared. Gaara knew if he wasn't assassinated and the ninja reported to the Kazekage that he failed his mission, than the council would have them killed for not completing the mission.

In a flash, Yashamaru slammed the tag on clone's forehead. The clone stumbled and fell on its back. The jutsu held and the clone looked kind of sick, like it was barely able to sustain itself.

"W-What did you do to me?" The clone managed out.

"I placed a special tag to slowly drain your chakra, thus effectively slowing down your automatic sand and allowing me the ability to complete my mission." He said as he pulled out a kunai.

Gaara felt a small sense of relief knowing his plan worked but it wasn't the time to relax. Gaara's sand shot up on its own and quickly enveloped the ninja. Yashamaru was quickly covered in sand up to his neck, rendering him immobile. Slowly Gaara walked from his hiding place and walked up to his uncle. There was a horrible stabbing pain in his heart that wouldn't go away.

"Why?" Gaara murmured.

"I was given a mission by the Kazekage." He responded.

"I thought that you cared for me." Gaara started to breathe more heavily as the adrenaline passed and the severity of what was happening was indeed reality and was crashing down on him.

"I thought I did but there was always that resentment I felt towards you. You killed my sister. I'll never see her again. I was there when she gave birth to you and she said that you looked so weak, so small for even a baby. That demon inside you killed her! You're nothing but a monster!" He declared.

His words cut deep into his heart. _I was right no one loves me. My own mother didn't love me and I killed her. My father hates me. Everyone hates me!_ Gaara thought frantically.

The sand that he didn't realize was swirling around him due to his tension, swirled faster and engraved the kanji for love on his left temple. Gaara screamed out in pain and fell to his knees, at the same time the sand around Yashamaru covered the rest of him and imploded and again there was a shower of blood.

Blood stained his clothes, and trailed down his face and hands as he stared at them. _I'm always in pain in this village. I don't think I can even call it home. I-I'll run away. Yes! Then I'll be free of all their hate._ Gaara thought hysterically.

It was too much for him to handle, today had been such an emotional roller coaster and that it would be impossible to keep a level head. He jumped to the other building intending to pack some necessities before leaving Suna. He ducked to the side of a building, hidden in the shadows when he felt a presence and looked back to see what looked to be a chunin shinobi heading towards his sand clone that Gaara had forgotten about.

In an odd burst of ingenuity, he knew that they would go after him if he left, not that they cared about him, but the council would worry that other villages might use Gaara as a weapon, just like they had originally intended. It didn't matter if the power couldn't be controlled if it destroyed an enemy village. He would have to be dead to be free from this village.

The shinobi threw a kunai the at the clone's neck. The clone fell on its back as the kunai embedded itself in the throat. Since it was just a clone with a chakra draining tag on its forehead, it would not last long. Since it was made from sand, it could take more blunt force than a normal clone. The clone focused its remaining chakra to not dissipate and laid there frozen, playing the part that he was killed. The chunin walked up to the clone and noticed the blood on its clothes. The shinobi did not know the blood was Yashamaru's and he assumed it was Gaara's own blood.

"I did it! I killed the demon! I'm going to be a hero, a legend; I'll be famous. I'll be paid so well for this! I can't believe the brat was able to kill so many other ninja. The Kazekage must have picked some lousy ninja to kill it. Can't say that in front of him or I'll be next to see kami." The ninja rambled on and on.

Gaara peered over to his clone and noticed the kunai wasn't embedded as deep as he'd thought, maybe an inch or two. Suddenly, the jutsu dispelled, leaving a large pile of sand. Gaara tensed. Now how was he supposed to be dead if there was no body? The chunin turned his gaze to the clone and noticed the pile of sand after he finished his ranting.

"Hmm, must be some kind of demon thing. I saw him die so him turning into a pile of sand isn't too much of a surprise I suppose. It _was_ demon made from sand. I need to report to Kazekage-sama to tell him the great news!" he reasoned and ran to the kage tower.

Gaara let go of the breathe he didn't realize he was holding and waited a couple of minutes till the shinobi was out of sight. He shook his head in disbelief. _What kind of ninja is he? Any other ninja would have been suspicious. Maybe he was promoted out of pity…_ he thought. He shook his head again and took off on the roof tops with a determined expression on his small face. _This village will never see this demon ever again._ He thought and disappeared into the shadows.

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On the way home he thought he was okay but he was shaking terribly. Silent tears were streaking down his face as he tried holding back his sobs. He was in a state of shock and he guessed it would go away if he got some rest but that wasn't possible for him. For as long as he could remember he was not allowed to sleep by order of the council and the Kazekage or else he would bring destruction to the village.

Gaara landed in front of the gates to his home and stealthily snuck in to his room. He took out a traveler's bag and stuffed it with some clothes and some other personal things with his brown teddy bear. He tip toed out to the hallway and listened if his siblings had woken up; he heard nothing so far so he continued on to the kitchen.

He took some cereal bars and other dry foods form the cupboards and added them to his pack as well. He wasn't even sure what he was doing exactly. It was like an out of body experience. He was just watching himself pack in a detached sort of way, his movements robotic.

Gaara was about to head out when the kitchen light turned on and he froze. He turned on his heel and saw Temari, his older sister. She was in her plain white pajama top and bottom, blonde hair cascading down to her shoulders instead of her usual four pigtails and her battle fan ready in her hands.

She blinked a couple of times, her eyes trying to adjust to the harsh light. She had heard someone in the kitchen and came to see what was going on. She figured someone might be breaking into their home. It was a ridiculous thought; someone trying to steal from the _Kazekage? _Nonetheless she wasn't taking any chances. _Besides, some people don't have any good analytical skills._ Temari had thought as she raced down the hall with her fan.

Her eyes adjusted and was shocked to see her baby brother in the state that he was in. His clothes were soaked in blood, teal eyes brimming with tears, a kanji of love on his forehead that she has never seen before and a large traveler's bag full with what she presumed were food and clothes. If he was doing what she thought he was doing than there was probably a good amount of money in there as well.

Despite her analysis of the situation, what worried her most were his eyes, she had always known he was in pain and lonely but she never saw him look this bad. He looked like he was in so much agony that she almost ran to hug him but she knew in his state that he would think she was attacking and his sand would protect him.

"What are you doing Gaara? Are you okay?" she whispered as she lowered her fan.

"H-He's dead. I k-killed him. I'm not staying. I'm not staying!" He confessed. His breathing was labored and couldn't contain his emotions. He was having a mental breakdown.

"I don't understand w-who did you kill? What do you mean you're not staying?" she managed out. She set her fan against the wall and slowly stepped closer to Gaara.

"Y-Yashamaru, I-I killed him. He was hired by Father to k-kill me. He said he n-never cared for me. He said m-my own m-mother never loved me either. He said I-I'm a demon that killed h-his sister." He sobbed. "No one cares about me."

Temari blinked in shock. _Their own uncle had tried to kill her baby brother?_ Suddenly guilt consumed her conscious. She realized how a horrible sister she'd been, ignoring him and continued training herself and didn't realize he went through so much pain each day, even more so today. She vowed to herself that she would make it up to him. What kind of father did they have tried to kill his son and ordering his brother in law as well? She promised she would protect her mother's youngest son.

"Listen Gaara, you are not a demon!" She crossed the remaining distance between them, knelt and held him by the shoulders. "I-I do care for you. You're my little brother. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you like I should have been. Do you mean you're leaving the village?" She questioned trying to look him in the eyes, though he kept looking the other way. She wasn't sure if it even got through to him. She worried about the psychological trauma he surely must be experiencing.

Gaara was only half listening. He looked back to her and simply nodded. "A c-chunin came and he was convinced he k-killed me and went to report to Father. E-Everyone will think I'm dead and I-I'm leaving t-tonight, to g-go far away as I can."

Temari listened closely and she didn't how Gaara pulled off fooling a chunin unless he was incompetent. It pained her to know her brother was leaving the village. Despite her pain, it made sense, he was treated horribly here and already had a twisted childhood. If he left he might have a better life. She decided to go along with his plan but she worried for his safety and realized that was a stupid thing to worry about. His automatic sand protected him whenever he's in danger. Nevertheless couldn't ignore the stress it caused her at the thought of him being in any possible danger, no matter how unlikely.

"Gaara, I won't tell anyone that you're alive okay? But as soon as I become chunin, I'll find a way to find you. I'll look for you and I'll leave Suna somehow but as soon as I can I'll be there for you okay? I promise, no _swear_ that you won't be alone for too long. Okay? I-I love you Gaara okay, please be safe!" she pleaded. She wasn't sure he was even registering what she was saying but he nodded and left through the front door. She watched from the kitchen window as he jumped on the rooftops and disappeared from her line of sight.

She sighed heavily and slumped into a chair, leaning her head against her folded arms on the kitchen table. _Please be safe Gaara. I swore I'd find you some day and be with you as soon as I can. I won't let you down anymore Gaara, I swear._ She thought to herself and hardened her resolve to keep him safe. _I wonder how Kankuro will take it_ she wondered.

She stood up, turned off the lights and took her battle fan in hand and trudged down the hall towards her room and paused as she heard loud snoring coming from her brother's room. She sighed again to herself. "Damn kid could probably have slept through the third shinobi war." She muttered to herself and entered her own room to get some well-deserved sleep.

* * *

In a daze Gaara hurriedly jumped from rooftop to rooftop. He didn't know where he'd go but all he cared about at the moment was to get as far away from the village that left him with so many awful memories. Nearing one of the gates he paused wondering, _How am I supposed to get by the guards?_

He waited trying to think of some kind of plan when another jonin showed up and addressed the guards with a huge smile on his face. "The monster is finally dead! It was killed just a couple of hours ago. Come! The Kazekage has summoned all jonin and chunin to debrief us in detail."

"Hai!" they both said and jumped off following the jonin to the tower.

"I guess my luck is holding out." Gaara murmured and dashed through the gate to the open desert night. He sighed not sure which direction to take. He chose heading towards the west and started his trek through the desert not realizing that his life was drastically changing for the better.

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AN: This is my very first fanfiction every. If you could take the time to review I would really appreciate it.

Until next time,

Ja ne


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

I want to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed this story. Thank you guys so much! You guys are amazing.

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**Chapter 2:**

Gaara jumped carefully from one tree to another. It was the first time he had been away from his home village and was accustomed to being surrounded by sand. It was his first time seeing such a dense forest. _It's kind of beautiful_, he thought. He was over his awe, but couldn't resist reaching out to touch the leaves, tree bark, brushes, branches, or the flowers that bloomed.

He had made it out of the desert during the night, although it would normally have taken a whole day, Gaara had a lot of stamina and couldn't sleep, thus saving him a lot of time. Crossing the desert at night was very cold and he had to wear a cloak to shield him from the bitter winds.

He had finally calmed downed from the previous events and all that was left was a constant ache in his heart. Gaara headed on a straight path through the forest, now knowing where he was going but hoped he found a village or town where he could stop and eat something. As luck would have it, Gaara could see a very small town, more like a rest place for travelers and shinobi, up ahead.

He paused and stood behind a tree on one side of the road. _It looks like no one guards the place._ _I guess I could just walk in and if I'm not allowed then I'll just leave._ He decided. He continued through the gate with no problem and looked around. There were mostly vendors that sold supplies to travelers and others with weapons to aid visiting shinobi. Gaara strolled through the town keeping an eye out for a restaurant where he could eat. Towards the main building was a bathhouse and that caught his attention. The bathhouse wasn't what he was staring at but rather an old man peeping at the women's section of the bathhouse.

Gaara walked up cautiously to the old man and heard him giggling. "This research is definitely going to make such a wonderful contribution to such a good cause. My next book in the series will be sold out in just hours!" Totally enthralled the old man continued to giggle and take notes in some kind of journal.

"Hey, what are you doing sir?" Gaara asked curiously.

"Huh, what do you want? Go away, I'm conducting very important research here kid." He replied without even turning to look at him, and waved him off with his hand.

"I don't know he's doing but he doesn't want to be seen by those women so I guess it can't be good." He murmured. He turned to leave to find some decent food when the old man turned to look at the boy. He noticed the boy's eyes had shadows around his eyes. He turned and stood up from his hiding spot between some bushes.

"Wait! What's your name kid?" he called.

"I'm Sabaku no Gaara. Who are you?" He questioned politely.

The old man paused while Gaara studied him. He looked around his mid-forties with a mane of white hair. He had two red stripes running down his cheeks from his eyes. He wore some kind of green ninja gear with a fish net shirt underneath that reached his wrists. He wore a red vest over his outfit with a belt tied at the waist, metal guards on his forearm and some kind of weird sandals Gaara never seen anyone wear and carried a huge scroll on his back.

The same man studied Gaara as well. He looked pretty young; seven he assumed. He wore a reddish brown pants and shirt, black shinobi sandals, some kind of white cloak rolled up on his shoulders and carried a small traveler's pack. But what startled him the most were his eyes. There were very dark shadows under his eyes, nearly black. He never seen anyone _ever_ look this bad. He knew of only one thing that could cause this. He remembered the kid asking his name and figured it would be all right to tell him, he doubted the kid would know who he was.

"Well, I'm Jiraiya, the Great Legendary Toad Sanin and Konoha's Super Pervert!" he gloated, rather proud at the last part. Gaara blinked, he never heard of him before but rather he was wondering _what_ a pervert was.

Jiraiya noticed his confusion and said, "Never mind that. There's something I would like to talk to you about. How's about I treat you to some lunch huh? How's ramen sound?" He asked while putting away his precious research notes.

Gaara hesitated. He was really itching for a good meal. All of his energy bars were gone as well as the other dry food. _I guess I didn't pack as much food as I thought._ But he never met this person; he was used to people avoiding him and hating him. He wasn't sure how to respond.

"Really? You'd do that? Everyone usually stays away from me because they say I'm a monster." He confessed while looking down. The pain flashed through his little body and pulled his teddy bear from his pack, and hugged it to him, trying to lessen the pain.

Jiraiya listened and frowned. Gaara's statement only further strengthened his theory. He walked up to Gaara and set a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah kid. Let's go get some ramen kay?"

Gaara only nodded gratefully and followed Jiraiya towards the nearest ramen stand.

* * *

Jiraiya took Gaara to eat ramen and couldn't believe his eyes. Gaara never had ramen before and hesitantly tried it and it immediately became his favorite food. He ate ten bowls of ramen in one sitting. Jiraiya had never seen anyone else eat as much ramen other than two other people. One of them was dead and the other he kept tabs on.

Gaara had explained everything to Jiraiya, the way he was treated to how he escaped from his village. Gaara felt he could trust him, he didn't seem afraid of him and besides, he showed him the greatest food in the world.

Gaara's story saddened Jiraiya but wasn't surprised by the treatment he received from his village. He wasn't the only one who was hated and nearly shunned because of what they carried inside.

Jiraiya let out a sigh. "Gaara, there's something important I need to tell you. Only you can hear this so we need a place to talk in private. How about I take you to my room I'm staying in to talk?" He queried. Gaara nodded at his suggestion, so Jiraiya stood and paid for their meal and led the way to the motel.

They entered the room and Gaara sat at the edge on the bed while Jiraiya leaned against the wall with arms crossed. Gaara look around the small room. The sheets on the bed were all white, the walls were painted a beige color, there was only a decent sized dresser in the far corner, a small wooden nightstand and a medium sized television. It was very bland but shinobi tended to only stay a couple days. Jiraiya caught his attention as he performed a silencing jutsu to keep anyone else from listening to their conversation.

He looked at Gaara with a serious face he usually never wore. "What I'm about to tell you is very important and explains why your former village hated you. I'm not sure how you'll take this but it's crucial you know, to protect yourself in the future. It's best you know now rather than later. So, do you want to hear what I'm about to tell you?" He asked him in all seriousness.

Gaara wasn't sure how to answer. He wanted to know why all these years the villagers hated him and made him go through so much pain. Although, Jiraiya was serious and what he was going to tell him didn't sound like it would him particularly happy.

_I've never been really happy in my life and gone through so much loneliness. I don't think my life could get any worse._ He thought a little depressed.

He looked at Jiraiya and nodded silently. Jiraiya noticed he was determined to know whatever it was he needed to tell him and nodded as well. "Gaara, in this world there are many dangerous things but there is one thing that everyone fears, including shinobi. These things are called bijuu. These bijuu are huge creatures made from malevolent chakra. There are a number in this world and are nearly undefeatable. They are called demons because of their nearly limitless amount of chakra they possess. They could strike a mountain and make it crumble in one blow. Each bijuu takes a different form of an animal and possess a certain amount of tails, giving it its name." He paused and studied Gaara carefully before continuing.

"The only way to defeat a bijuu is to seal it away. Of course you can't seal such a vast evil power into something like a scroll. No, it needs a human sacrifice. These beasts are sealed into humans who are called Jinchuuriki. You understand so far?" He questioned.

Gaara swallowed and nodded. He had a sinking feeling that he knew where this conversation was going.

"Gaara… I believe you are a Jinchuuriki; that you have the one-tail Ichibi. I suspect that is why you can't ever sleep. If you were to, it would try to take over and wreak havoc everywhere. It would explain your ability to manipulate sand and your automatic defense as well." He finished his speech and waited for his reaction.

Gaara sat there shocked. He was hated, alone, ignored because he really _was_ a demon. He had one _inside_ him. "I'm a demon?" He whispered, his eyes wide.

"No, you're not a demon. You are the jailer, you are Gaara and not the Ichibi okay?" He looked at Gaara and he nodded but he wasn't convinced he accepted it. Well, it was life-changing news and he was handling it better than Jiraiya had thought.

"There is one thing I'd like to tell you and do if you'd permit me." He stated.

"What is it?" Gaara murmured.

"Sealing a bijuu inside a person is no easy feat. The nature of its sealing is very dangerous. I am unaware of how you were sealed with the one tail. However, if you have a seal on your body then may I have a look? I'm a seals master and if you let me, I could try to fix, well rather enhance your seal to keep it more secure. If your seal was secure enough, perhaps you could possibly gain the ability to sleep again without worrying about the one tail taking over. You might even have better control of your sand. So what do you think kid?" He asked trying to lighten the mood.

At this Gaara cheered up. "Really! You can do that! I could really get some sleep?" Gaara remembered his earlier wish, to be able to dream and dream of a life he yearned he could have.

Jiraiya smiled at his enthusiasm and nodded. "Sure thing kid. Now to find the seal. I can't guarantee you have a seal. I don't want to give you false hope. If you do have a seal, you'll have to channel some chakra. That's the only way to see the seal, otherwise it's invisible. Let's start with your stomach." He instructed.

Gaara nodded and removed his shirt. He channeled some chakra like Jiraiya instructed and focused for a few moments on his chakra. Jiraiya walked to Gaara and inspected his stomach.

"Hmm. Nothing. I'll check your back next." He murmured. Gaara nodded and focused on his chakra.

Sure enough, there was a seal there. "Yup, there it is. Keep focusing on your chakra until I tell you otherwise. I'll work on fixing it up for ya kay kid?" Gaara nodded and did what he was asked.

Jiraiya inspected the seal and found there were only parts and sections he could understand_. Man, whoever did this seal took a huge risk. It's a miracle the kid survived. This person must have had only a limited understanding of sealing. It's a bit sloppy. Probably from attempting to use higher level seals. _He thought. He went through a series complex hand seals for a couple of minutes and channeled the right amount of chakra. His palm glowing with chakra as he placed his hand on the seal and murmured, "Seal!"

Gaara slumped forward and Jiraiya caught him before he fell off the edge of the bed. He laid him back on the bed and asked, "Gaara, are you alright?" Gaara said nothing. Jiraiya frowned. The boy seemed alright. Gaara let out a soft snore and curled up in a ball.

Jiraiya covered his hand over his mouth to keep his laughter under control. _Damn. Didn't think he'd fall asleep that quickly._ He thought. As his mirth died down he let out of a relieved sigh. He crossed his arms over his broad chest and focused his attention on Gaara. _I don't sense any fluctuating levels of chakra from him or any chakra from the one tail. I'll leave a shadow clone to watch over him, just in case anything changes. I don't know how long he'll sleep so in the meantime, I'll continue on with my research. Can't waste precious time now can I? What kind of author would I be if I wasn't willing to make these sacrifices for all my fans? _He thought and jumped out the window to the bathhouses to continue where he left off.

* * *

Gaara opened his eyes and took in the scene before him. He was in a huge cave like those in Suna and could see a desert at the mouth of the cave. He walked deeper into the cave and saw a massive cage with bars leading to the high roof of the cave. He stared and saw that originally the bars were further spaced apart about every two feet but was sufficient enough to keep the prisoner from escaping. But over those bars were new bars that were more closely spaced about six inches and made the cage all more secure.

Gaara suddenly realized that this was his demon's prison. On cue, he heard a loud growling sound from the shadows of the prison. Stepping forward was a huge tanuki made of sand and gold diamond like eyes with huge black claws staring down right at him.

"W-who are you?" Gaara asked but he already knew the answer.

"Stupid mortal. I'm the one tail Ichibi; Prisoner of this god forsaken place." He growled.

Gaara nodded quickly. He was kind of scared. He knew it was caged but just looking at the demon would make anyone run away in pure terror.

"W-what am I doing here?" Gaara asked politely not wanting the demon to be angrier with him than he already was.

"You finally know what you are and I wanted to meet my 'host'. All I wanted to tell you was I can have a telepathic link with you when you're conscious as well when you're unconscious and I can speak to you if I wished and I can see and hear all that you do. With these wretched new seal I can't keep you from sleeping now. That's all I have to say and there's nothing I want to hear from you now or in the future. Now let me be." The Ichibi order, and with a swipe of its paw he cut their mental connection.

Gaara blinked as he woke but made no move to sit up. _I spoke with my demon. It talked to me and I can hear it while I'm awake too? _He sighed at the thought and drifted off to sleep and for once in his life, he dreamed.

* * *

Jiraiya walked back to this motel room with no one at his side. He couldn't bring any 'research assistants' with him when Gaara was still asleep on his bed. _Hmm, maybe I should have gotten another room for the kid so I could continue with my research with some help of course._ His shadow clones informed him the kid had been asleep for nine hours and was stirring.

He checked to see if he still had those two scrolls he had written earlier before entering the room. _Jinchuuriki don't really have good chakra control. If they could have better control over their chakra they could become even more powerful. Besides they'll be facing strong shinobi in the future, the more prepared they are now the safer they'll be. I'll have the kid here head toward Konoha and hopefully meet a certain blonde haired kid who knows his pain better than anyone does. _

Gaara stirred again and sat up looking around. He had the most restful sleep and didn't realize what he was missing all these years. He felt more collected, more calm and able to think straight. He looked up to see Jiraiya by the door watching him. Relief, gratefulness, and respect washed over Gaara as he saw him.

"T-Thank you so much Jiraiya-sama. I don't know how to thank you. Thank you. Thank you." Gaara bowed and was nearly to tears.

Jiraiya was a bit uncomfortable with how much gratitude the kid was showing but he figured he really couldn't blame him.

"Well, I'd like for you to head towards a certain village. I know the Hokage personally and I'm sure he'll take you in. Besides there's someone you'll meet who is just like you. I can't say how because I'd be punished by death but you'll be able to know who he is easily enough. Oh yeah! Here." He rummaged in his bag for the two scrolls and handed them to Gaara. "One is for you and the other for your friend you'll meet in the village. These scrolls are only for the two of you understand?" Gaara nodded, curious as to what the scrolls contained.

"Good, these scrolls simply are chakra control exercises. These will help you control your chakra better, allowing you to have a better skill in performing jutsus. If you could rely on your own strength and not the demon's you'll be very strong. Additionally, if you could control your demon's chakra as well, well then you will undeniably be stronger than any shinobi. I don't expect you to do these things now obviously but I'm just telling you the possibilities you have alright? So, are you willing to head to this village?" Jiraiya asked.

Gaara thought about what Jiraiya as telling him. It would be nice to have some kind of home instead of constant traveling aimlessly to different towns. But was more intriguing was a possible friend Jiraiya was talking about. All he ever wanted was a true friend, for the pain to be gone and to be acknowledged.

Gaara looked at Jiraiya and said, "Yes, I'll go." He took the scrolls handed to him and stored them in his pack.

"That's great kid! I'll tell you the directions to the village but let's go get some ramen first kay kid?"

Gaara grinned and shook his head enthusiastically at the thought of having his new favorite food again. _I don't think I'll ever get tired of eating ramen. It's amazing!_ He jumped off the bed and ran to the door.

Jiraiya remembered how much he ate the last time and almost took back his offer but couldn't seeing how excited the kid was. _It's not like I'll ever run out of money. Being a famous author has its perks._ He thought as he led Gaara out of his room towards the ramen stand. _If that shop hasn't had any customers lately the kid has just made up their income of probably ten customers_, he mused.

* * *

Over ramen, Jiraiya explained how to get to the village hidden in the leaves and that the Hokage was in a big tower in the center of the village. They were standing in the middle of the road as Jiraiya finished explaining.

"Alright kid. That's about it. Any questions?"

"Where are you going Jiraiya-sama?"

"Well I just travel around other countries and gather information for my research. It takes a lot of dedication and effort but very worth it." He proclaimed proudly.

Gaara just nodded not sure what this research entailed.

"Alright. You take care kid. Hopefully we'll see each other sometime in the future. See ya Gaara." Jiraiya said as he walked down the road to the west. _This kid is gonna cause a lot of change in the future. Not to mention the kid he's going to meet. Wish I could see the Kazekage's face when he hears about this! Alas, my research must carry on. I have been straying from my duty too long now. To the nearest bathhouse!_

Gaara trekked up the road toward the leaf village. According to Jiraiya he'd reach the village by mid-morning tomorrow. He jumped up to the tress to make better ground. **_Hey brat!_** Gaara suddenly heard a thought in his head, he tripped and nearly fell to the ground.

"W-Who was that?" Gaara asked while looking around. There was no one around as far as he could tell.

**_Insufferable human! Didn't I tell you I could have a telepathic link with you?_** The demon growled.

"Uhh, I guess you did. S-Sorry." Gaara answered quickly.

**_You don't' need to speak aloud for me to hear you._** He stated in annoyance.

_Uhh, sorry._

**_Stop apologizing. You sound like a weakling._**

_Sorr-I mean okay._

**_You don't need to stop running to speak to me either brat._**

Gaara realized that he in fact was just standing there on a thick branch and jumped to the next branch.

**_I decided to give you a sand gourd that you'll be to store sand. This way you won't bother me in the future. You are no longer surrounded by sand like in Suna. This way you'll be able to have sand at the ready regardless of the environment. _**

_But, how am I supposed to get the gourd? _

**_Just focus on channeling your chakra and concentrate on some of my chakra I'll be giving to you which will then manifest itself as the gourd._**

Gaara nodded and leaped to the forest floor. He focused on his chakra and he felt the foreign chakra leak into his system and could feel how powerful it was. The demon's chakra did all the work and sand swirled and created a small gourd with a brown strap that he'd be able to carry on his small back. Sand poured in the gourd and a brown cork topped the gourd.

**_As you grow, you'll be able to add sand to enlarge it and fill more sand into it. _**

_Uhh, thank you…umm… what can I call you?_

**_You can just call me Ichibi._**

_Okay, thank you Ichibi. But, why are you helping me?_

**_Don't flatter yourself. I'm not helping you for your benefit. I'm doing this for my own sake. I do not know what will occur to _**_me_ **_if you were to die. I'd rather not take any chances, even if that means staying imprisoned inside an annoying human._**

Before Gaara could fathom a response, the Ichibi cut their link. He sighed and picked up his new gourd and put the strap diagonally from his shoulder to waist and shouldered his pack. He continued on towards the village at a slower pace due the added weight.

* * *

It was mid-morning as Gaara had run most of the night only stopping to sleep for five hours. _I don't need much sleep now. I guess it's a side effect of not sleeping for so many years._ He idly trees were staring to thin as he neared the village hidden in the leaves.

After a couple hours, he saw a break in the leaves and saw the main gate. Gaara gazed in wonder at how enormous the village was. It was relatively the same size as Suna but the terrain and everything else about the village was different.

Gaara crouched on the nearest tree to the gate but kept himself from being seen. _How am I supposed to get in? I don't think they'll just let me enter. In Suna you needed some kind of passport to get in. Do you need one here?_ He wondered.

There were two shinobi guarding the gate, sitting in some kind of booth and looked utterly bored. _I wonder if I can sneak in_. He waited for a bit and noticed they kept checking the time. _I'm guessing they're about to change shifts. When they leave I'll head in the village._ Exactly at noon, both shinobi disappeared. Gaara breathed a sigh of relief, jumped down from the branch, and ran through the gates as quickly as possible. He hid himself behind an apartment building and looked back at the gate. Two other shinobi appeared and took the place of those who just left. _Wow, they're quick._ He hurriedly ran off looking for the Hokage tower, just as Jiraiya had said.

It wasn't that hard to find. Just like in Suna it was the tallest building in Konoha. It was quite a ways till he reached the tower and he decided to take his time and observe the village. It was very beautiful. There was more plant life here, traveling through the forest was interesting by itself, but the village was a whole other story.

Homes were made of wood instead of sand. The weather was cooler too and there were many merchants and villagers roaming about. It seemed like a very happy village and he started to feel hope that maybe this could be his new home.

As he strolled through the village, he realized he was near some kind of playground. He looked around and realized it must be the ninja academy. It wasn't too different in structure than in Suna's. There were academy students playing around with their friends as mothers came to watch over them during their recess.

There was a huge crowd of girls screaming and fawning over some kid with coal black hair and eyes. He seemed annoyed by the attention and tried avoiding them but they kept following after him. Another boy was lying on top of the academy rooftop and appeared to be watching the clouds while a larger kid sat next to him eating a bag of chips. There was also a rather loud kid with red marks on his face trying to get the other girls attention. Another boy was by himself, watching the other kids with some really dark glasses and a coat that covered his lower face. Lastly there was a really shy looking girl with pale eyes sitting atop the slide watching a young blonde sitting by himself on a swing.

The boy wasn't doing anything but watching everyone else have fun. The mothers cast him glares of hatred and fear. Gaara drew a bit closer and could hear what they were saying about the small boy. "That demon!" "Can't believe they let him enroll and hinder the rest of the students!" "Monster!"

Gaara couldn't believe they called the boy the same things _he _had been called. Gaara looked at the boy closely. The boy tried to smile but he could see the pain in his eyes, the loneliness and yearning to be accepted. _His eyes are just like mine_…He thought incredulously.

A bell rang and an instructor with a scar on his nose yelled, "Recess is over, come back to class now!"

The kids started filing back into the building though the instructor had to convince the kid on the rooftop to get to class but the boy was muttering something along the lines of "troublesome". Gaara watched as the blonde kid headed to class dejectedly and kept looking back to only receive glares from the parents. _Why do they hate him so much?_ The parents only left when the boy entered the classroom. It was already afternoon and so Gaara figured they would be released from class in an hour or two. He decided to find food first and then come back to talk to the sad blonde. _I wonder if they have ramen here?_ He thought as he wandered down the road.

* * *

**AN: **Don't forget to review! ^_^


	3. Author's Note

AN:

First of all I'd like to say I'm sorry for not updating lately. I hate to say that the computer I had been using had completely_ erased all my files_. Absolutely everything, my computer is basically a clean slate. I had to add and download all the programs again, including Word. I died inside when I found out, I was just about to update the longest chapter yet (16 pages on Word). I'm so sorry. I'll have to start over without all my notes. Please bare with me.

On another note, for those who read the manga, what did you guys think? I don't want to spoil anything for those who don't read the manga, but this chapter...I wasn't expecting for that to happen. Have any thoughts on the chapter, let me know if you'd like.

Again, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I'll try to update as soon as I can. Thank you to all and any new followers or those who favorited this story.

Ja ne


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, Jiraiya, and TenTen would have a last name.**

****So...uh...Hi? "Sorry I'm late. I was lost on the road of life." No? Okay...

First of all I'm sorry. I know it's been a long time since I've updated. There's a reason why people say life's a bitch because life has certainly hasn't been easy more this past month. I don't want to get into the details but please know I'm not giving up on this story.

So on another note, I'm a senior! One more year before I graduate. I promise I'll find time to write between school and internship. (-Necessity to graduate.)

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to **Chouko-chan, Thunder Claw03, and Mukuro234 **who reviewed anyways and gave me the motivation to keep writing.

I made this chapter extra long for you guys (21 pages) and I hope you forgive me for such a long wait, so without further ado here's the third chapter of _Brothers in all but Blood._

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."  
― Bernard M. Baruch

* * *

(Nightfall)

Gaara sighed, disgruntled. He had wondered about the village stubbornly trying to find a ramen stand but no such luck. He kicked a stray rock in his path and gazed up at the sky. The moon was a quarter full and was illuminating brightly over the now sleeping village. _How did I waste a whole afternoon and evening looking for ramen? Ridiculous._ He thought.

It was ridiculous but he couldn't help it. As well as looking for a ramen stand, he was awestruck by the village. He'd never imagined the village being so bright, colorful, vibrant, and so full of life. Everywhere he turned he saw all types of greenery. He saw trees, flowers, shrubs, bushes, insects, butterflies, birds; there was just so much life. Not only that, but the homes and buildings were so much different than he was used to.

In Suna, everything was monochromatic. The homes and buildings were made of reinforced sand to blend in with the valley to stay hidden. Buildings were compact to conserve space, even if you were from a clan. There wasn't much plant life other than desert plants like cactus which was abundant enough. Water was greatly treasured and used conservatively. Konoha was just the opposite. Gaara couldn't help but stare and gaze in wonder at all the sights.

A growl from his stomach shook him from his thoughts. He sighed. He was hungry and no place to sleep for the night. _Maybe I can sleep in park? But…where's the park?_ He wondered. Gaara strolled down the lonely road and took a left. He blinked and stopped midstride as a blonde haired boy came into view. The boy looked tired and his white shirt with an orange spiral and blue shorts were dirty. He was the same boy he'd seen earlier at the academy who looked so lonely and alone like him.

Gaara snapped out of his thoughts and ran to catch up to the boy. As he reached him, he kept pace with the blonde boy and nervously said, "Hi, I'm Sabuko no Gaara."

The boy stopped walking and Gaara did the same. The boy looked at Gaara, confused but replied nonetheless. "Hey, I'm Uzumaki Naruto." He introduced, shoving his hands in his pockets and tilting his head to the right.

Naruto studied the boy in front of him closely. He knew this boy wasn't from Konoha, he'd never seen him before. He couldn't be a visitor, it was too late for any visitors to out and about. Gaara had reddish brown hair, some kind of gourd on his back, a cloak, a traveler's pack, black shinobi sandals, and teal eyes. Naruto blinked and did a double take. _His eyes…they look so lonely, so full of pain…just like me…_

Gaara noticed the recognition on Naruto's face as he studied him. Naruto stared at Gaara in shock, mouth gaping.

"So uh, where were you heading?" Gaara asked awkwardly.

Naruto shut his mouth and grinned. "I was gonna go get some ramen? Wanna come?" He offered. Naruto knew what it was like to be lonely and alone and if Gaara was lonely too than he wanted to be his friend to help remedy that.

Now it was Gaara who was shocked. "I've been walking the village all day and I couldn't find a single ramen shop." He cried indignantly.

"You like ramen?" Naruto asked excitedly, eyes shining.

"Yes, it's my favorite." As he said this, Gaara's stomach growled again.

Naruto's smile grew even bigger. He grabbed Gaara's wrist and started to drag him to Ichiraku's ramen. "Come on then! There's beef, pork, shrimp, miso, salt-"Naruto was abruptly cut off, mid-sentence with a punch to his gut. He was sent sprawling four yards, acquiring scrapes and shallow cuts. Naruto groaned as he clutched his mid-section. _What the hell was that?_ He wondered in pain.

Gaara stepped back as he observed Naruto's attackers. There were four men dressed in civilian clothes. Gaara assumed they were drunk from the bottles of sake they carried. Three of the men stumbled and held on to each other to keep from collapsing. The fourth man seemed sober enough to walk fine on his own, though he stumbled every now and then, and seemed to be the leader of the bunch.

Gaara's heartbeat started to race. Adrenaline coursed through his system. His muscles tensed, ready to act at a moment's notice. He'd never experienced this before, he couldn't identify the emotion. Was he scared? Gaara didn't believe so. Even when he was attacked numerous times in Suna, he never feared being hurt, his sand wouldn't allow it. Gaara swallowed thickly. But…it _was_ fear; fear…not for himself but for _Naruto_. Fear that he would get hurt without being able to defend himself like he could.

The leader made his way towards Gaara and said, "S-Stay away f-from that monster. He's a d-demon. Run w-while yoouu still have t-the c-chance." He slurred. As he spoke to Gaara, the other men had ambled towards Naruto and started to kick him all over his small body.

"Stop! Don't hurt him!" Gaara shouted and ran towards Naruto to help.

"D-Don't get i-in the way b-brat!" The leader commanded. He threw his bottle of sake on the ground, breaking the battle into shards. He picked them up and threw them at Gaara to keep him from interfering.

Gaara's sand shot out with incredible speed and deflected every single shard. The other three men followed their leader's example. They walked away from Naruto and staggered towards Gaara and broke their bottles and threw the shards at him. In their inebriated state, the shards mostly went wide except a couple were heading right on course. Gaara's sand protected him again, blocking the projectiles.

"F-Forget him. T-Take c-care of the d-demon brat!" The leader instructed, stumbling towards Naruto.

Gaara ran as fast as he could towards Naruto. The lackeys froze as Gaara raced toward them. Gaara raised a fist as if he were to throw a punch before ducking in between their legs to reach Naruto. The men snapped out of their surprise and threw more of their shards at both boys. Gaara stood his ground as his sand swirled around himself and Naruto in a dome like fashion, blocking the attacks of all four men.

His sand continued to swirl around him, responding to his worry and anxiety. Gaara stared them down, trying to hide his fear. He was confused. _Why would they attack Naruto? Why do they hate Naruto so much? Would they really attack anyone whose even associated with Naruto?_

The men slowly started to back away. "Y-You're a m-monster too! Y-You demon!" He spat. The leader and his lackeys ran as fast as their drunken selves could carry them.

Gaara calmed as they vanished from sight, his sand retreating to his gourd. He turned and crouched next to Naruto. "Naruto? Are you okay?" He asked fearfully, shaking his shoulder gently.

Naruto groaned in response. _What was with that cool sand?_ He wondered before passing out into unconsciousness.

Gaara started to panic. _What do I do? I don't even know where the hospital is!_ He thought frantically. He stood and surveyed his surroundings, hoping for some miracle that someone had witnessed what happened. Gaara jumped back in surprise, his sand at the ready, as two ninja appeared before him.

"W-Who are you?" Gaara demanded, his sand hovering between them. These ninja were not anyone he'd seen before, even in his own former village. Their attire was entirely black, their pants, their long sleeved shirts, and shinobi sandals. They both wore some kind of silver bracers on their forearms and sported a sheathed katana on their backs. Most importantly, they wore masks of a dog and wolf.

"We are ninja of the Leaf. We are to take Uzumaki Naruto to the hospital. The Hokage wishes to speak with you as well to explain the situation. Please follow us." Wolf answered in a gruff voice, not in the least perturbed by the sand.

Gaara hesitated but wiled his sand to recede. Dog stepped forward and gingerly lifted Naruto into his arms, mindful of his injuries. Dog gave Gaara a nod and jumped onto a rooftop, leading the way to Konoha's hospital.

Gaara followed closely behind the ninja as Wolf followed Gaara and arrived at the hospital in four minutes. The ninja handed Naruto over to the hospital staff and instructed Gaara to wait for the Hokage in the waiting room. Gaara frowned at this but followed their orders nonetheless.

As he entered the waiting he noticed it was completely void of any visitors. He strode to the far left corner and took a seat on a comfortable green chair. As he waited he observed his surroundings. The walls were painted an off white with a four inch stripe running around the walls. Comfortable chairs lined the walls as well as paintings of scenery of the Land of Fire. There was a small coffee table occupying the center of the room. Potted plants littered the corners of the room, giving the room a tranquil and peaceful aura.

Gaara sighed as he waited for the Hokage to come fetch him. He was worried about Naruto. _Does this happen often? Does he frequently get attacked like me? People seem to hate him, ignore him and call him a demon. The treatment he receives is so similar to mine…_

As Gaara waited, the Hokage entered the hospital, striding towards the receptionist table. He acquired the information he was looking for and headed towards the waiting room to retrieve the boy he was informed of by his anbu. He cracked the door open and peered inside. The boy quickly turned his attention to the Hokage. The Third gestured for him to follow.

Gaara quickly stood and trailed behind who he believed to be the Hokage. Even if he wasn't told the Hokage would retrieve him, he would have known who he was regardless due to his red robes. His father wore similar robes only they were green in color.

They silently paced down the hall, took a right turn and entered room 10. The room was fashioned similarly to the waiting room though the stripe lining the walls was red as well as the chairs. Machines occupied the right corner next to the patient's bed monitoring the young blonde's vitals. The heart monitor beeped steadily and slowly, suggesting the boy was fast asleep. The Hokage pulled up a chair for himself and Gaara next to Naruto's bed.

The Third noticed the redhead's worried expression. "Don't worry. Naruto is alright now, he suffered a coupled of cracked ribs is all. The doctors bandaged the ribs and should make a full recovery by morning." He assured as they took their seats.

Gaara nodded in relief but said nothing.

"May I ask what is your name young one?" The Hokage asked as he pulled his pipe from his robes.

"My name is Sabuko no Gaara." He murmured quietly.

The Third's eyes widened slightly. _The son of the Kazekage from Suna? Hmm, he was pronounced officially dead two days ago. I wonder…This also means he no longer had any affiliation to Suna as well…_

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you Gaara. My name is Sarutobi Hiruzen, Hokage of the Hidden Leaf. Can you explain what happened earlier this evening with Naruto?" He questioned, lighting his pipe and taking a deep drag.

"It's kind of a long story." Gaara hedged, unsure of how much to reveal.

"Would your story start in Suna where you managed to leave your village with your father believing you were dead?" Hiruzen asked, letting out a breath of smoke. Gaara's eyes widened.

The Hokage's face softened. "The Kazekage declared his youngest son dead two days ago. Your father is an important political figure. The death of his son would have reached the five nations relatively quickly." He explained sadly.

Gaara swallowed thickly. "Yes. I left Suna, my village believing I was dead." He had intended to speak with the Hokage but not in the current situation he was in. He sighed in resignation and recounted his story from the very beginning. He explained his treatment in Suna, the assassinations, his uncle, faking his death, leaving his village, and meeting Jiraiya. He purposely omitted his biju from his story. He didn't want anyone to know about his demon.

Hiruzen listened carefully and silently until the boy finished. He was saddened to find another tortured soul like Naruto. He was surprised that Jiraiya was involved in all this. He asked to look at the scrolls he'd given Gaara. He reviewed them and as Gaara had said, they were chakra control exercises.

Curiously there was a short message on Gaara's scroll. A message that was in code that Jiraiya had created to send updates to the Hokage. He quickly decoded it with a cipher known only by him, it read; _Hey sensei! As you know, Gaara is the jinchuuriki to the Ichibi. Whatever you decide to do, I assure you that Gaara's seal is secure. I personally checked the seal and reinforced it. I'm off to continue my research you love so much. Ja ne _The Hokage schooled his expression._ I see… _Satisfied he handed them back to the boy.

"First of all Gaara, I want to thank you for protecting Naruto. Not many people would have done what you did tonight. Despite not being well acquainted, you protected Naruto anyways. My ninja have taken care of those responsible for the attack and will be punished. Every life is precious Gaara. Our people, our comrades, they are all worth protecting. We praise and value this in our village and try to instill this to all the citizens of the Leaf. Do you understand what I'm trying to say Gaara?" The Hokage preached.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." He answered, nodding his head.

The Third was silent for a moment before asking, "How would you like to become a ninja of the Village Hidden in the Leaves?" He pondered aloud, smoking the last of his pipe.

Gaara's jaw dropped. "Really Hokage-sama? You'd allow me to become a ninja in the Leaf?" He asked in disbelief. Jiraiya was confident the Hokage would assist Gaara in some way. Gaara wasn't sure what help he was expecting to receive. Maybe some help finding a home, or caretaker? His offer was far more than he anticipated.

"If you wish." Hiruzen replied simply. He removed the pipe from his mouth and cleaned the remaining tar before storing it in his robes. The Hokage could tell Gaara's mind was reeling. He smiled kindly, laying a hand on Gaara's shoulder.

"Naruto wishes to become a ninja as well. In fact his dream is to be Hokage. I'm sure Naruto would appreciate a loyal friend like yourself. If you'd like, you could live with Naruto in his apartment." The Hokage proposed. He could see he gained Gaara's attention. "It's a quaint apartment I'll admit but there is only so much I can do. You'd receive the same monthly stipend as Naruto until you'd earn your salary as a ninja. What do you think Gaara? Do you accept?" The aged Hokaged queried.

Gaara bobbed his head fervently. "Yes Hokage-sama. I accept." The chance to have a friend was too good to pass up. The loneliness, the fear, the hatred was too much to bear alone. He hoped his friendship with Naruto will alleviate that pain.

"That's wonderful. I'll arrange your citizenship papers and enrollment to the academy. You may have to study during these two months to catch up to the other students of your age." The Hokage paused as they turned their attention to Naruto who started to stir. Naruto shifted to his side and started drooling. He muttered a couple unintelligible words before clearly stating, "Ramen…more ramen…" Hiruzen frowned but wasn't surprised Naruto dreamt of ramen. He peered at Gaara from the corner of his periphery. He had looked confused but was now nodding to himself as if ramen explained everything. It probably did.

The Hokage cleared his throat gaining Gaara's attention. "Well, as I was saying. I'm sure you'll be able to catch up on the material. The academy begins in two months. " He explained.

Gaara nodded in understanding, committing this information to his memory.

"There is one last concern I must address." The Third said in all seriousness. The boy nodded quietly and the Hokage continued. "This incident might produce many rumors. You must understand something first. It pains me to say that Naruto is hated, scorned, and ignored just as you were in your village. Your friendship with Naruto could lead to you potentially receiving such treatment. I am not at liberty say to why Naruto is treated as such. The civilians that attacked Naruto and yourself have no doubt spread some rumors before their capture. As Hokage, I am privy to many things." The Hokage quickly set up a silencing jutsu. Gaara furrowed his brows in confusion. He'd seen his father use the same jutsu various times when he'd meet with other Kage.

The Third sighed and itched to take another smoke from his pipe. Shoving that thought aside he faced Gaara. "I understand your reluctance of voicing such a dangerous secret." Gaara stiffened. Noticing his reaction the Hokage held out his hand, palm forward. "Gaara, know I do not fear you. I wish you no harm. I know why you suffered in your village. The question is whether you yourself know the reason why." Gaara started to sweat. _He can't possibly know can he?_ He wondered tensely.

The Hokage intently watched Gaara. "Do you understand what I mean if I say…human sacrifice?" He questioned, eyes trained on his face. Gaara flinched and the Hokage had his answer.

"Gaara, I am aware that you host the Ichibi, or the One-tail." He proclaimed, lowering his hand. Gaara sat frozen in his seat. "I am telling you to show my faith and trust in you. I want you to be happy here in Konoha Gaara, if you so choose to stay. Your ability to manipulate sand is unique. The civilians fear what they do not know. Do not let their actions get you down. No one will know of you status as a jinchuuriki. I want you to know you can confide in me. Ichibi or not, I'd be happy to welcome you to the village." Hiruzen smiled warmly, complete sincerity in his voice.

Gaara shook his head in disbelief. "You really don't mind who I am Hokage-sama?"

"Not at all. Hosting a biju does not dictate who you are. You are yourself and you are who you make yourself to be." The Third answered wisely.

Gaara grinned from ear to ear, taking this to heart. He stood and bowed deeply. "Thank you Hokage-sama. I'm grateful for your generosity. I'm aware of the possible treatment I might receive. Nonetheless I would be honored to be a citizen of Konoha." Gaara straightened, his grin never faltering, before taking his seat again.

Hiruzen smiled, amused at the boy's higher vocabulary. _I wonder if this was how he was expected to speak in front of the Kazekage._ He snapped out of his musings and said, "Think nothing of it. I'm glad to help in any way. Now I'm sure you'd like to rest. It's been a long day." Gaara nodded and looked at Naruto with worry.

"I assure you Naruto is well. As I said, he suffered from only a couple of cracked ribs. They've been bandaged up and he should make a full recovery. In fact he should be discharged first thing in the morning." Gaara sighed in relief. "Now I supposed you'd like to stay with Naruto for the night?" Gaara nodded.

"I'll have some of my chunin bring you a cot to rest." The Third paused a moment before continuing. "I am under the impression that the host of the Ichibi do not sleep at all."

Gaara could hear the unasked question in his voice. He scratched the side of his head with a finger. "Well, yes. I wasn't able to sleep. It was only until I met Jiraiya-sama who explained to me about the Ichibi. It was Jiraiya-sama who reinforced my seal and now allows me the ability to sleep." Gaara confessed.

"I see." He replied, rubbing his chin. "That is quite fortunate. Well it is quite late. I'll make sure to send a chunin to bring the cot." He stood and Gaara did the same. They placed their chairs against the wall so they wouldn't be in the way of any nurses.

"Gaara, I'd like for you to come by my office tomorrow at noon. I'll have your citizenship papers ready for and I'll have one of the academy instructors provide you with the material you'll have to catch up with as well."

"Hai Hokage-sama. Thank you again." Gaara said bowing again. Hiruzen smiled. _Such a polite and well-mannered boy. I hope some of his manners rubs off on Naruto._

"I'm off to get some sleep myself. Goodnight Gaara."

"Goodnight Hokage-sama." Gaara replied as the Hokage silently left the room. The room was silent except for Naruto's snores. He waited patiently for about ten minutes when a ninja brought in the cot, blanket and a pillow. The chunin placed the cot against the wall and Gaara thanked him, and received a nod in return before the ninja left.

Gaara could feel the fatigue set in. He removed his traveler's pack and sand gourd from his shoulders, he apparently hadn't removed them the entire time he spoke with the Hokage, and set it beside the cot. He took out his teddy bear from his pack and settled in until he got comfortable. He let out a loud yawn and snuggled his teddy bear closer. He slowly drifted off to sleep, though he swore the last thing he heard was Naruto mutter, "I am the King of Ramen and am ruler of the Land of Ramen!"

* * *

(Early morning)

Naruto stirred as he felt the bright sunlight hit his eyelids. He rubbed his eyes lids with his fist and sat up groggily. He winced at the slight discomfort from his ribs. Naruto shrugged it off; he knew he'd be fine in an hour or two. He scratched the back of his head, and squinted as his eyes adjusted to the bright light.

Naruto jumped up and stood on his bed, a hospital gown covering most of his small body to his ankles, and shouted.

"Ojii-san!" Naruto's eyes fully adjusted and he frowned at the Hokage's absence. _Where's Ojii-san? He's usually here to take me to Ichiraku's to get ramen._ The Hokage had always visited Naruto whenever he got hurt, apologized and bought him a bowl of ramen. Naruto wasn't sure why he was apologizing but was all too happy to find someone waiting for him when he woke up, that at least _someone_ cared for him. Free ramen was just a bonus.

Naruto hopped off the hospital bed and started to change into a clean new pair of blue shorts and white t-shirt with a red spiral. He was just putting on his blue shinobi sandals when he finally noticed Gaara sitting up, just waking from his sleep.

"Ahh!" Naruto shouted in surprised and fell on his back.

Gaara got up and ran to Naruto's side. "Are you okay?"

Naruto blinked and stared at Gaara for a moment, his eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Gaara?" He asked.

Gaara smiled and nodded. Naruto grinned and picked himself off the floor.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, putting his hands behind his head.

"Well, you were hurt. I wanted to see if you were okay. And I didn't have anywhere to sleep. " Gaara admitted.

"I'm fine. Nothing can keep Uzumaki Naruto down for long! Dattebayo!" Naruto proclaimed.

Before Gaara could reply a nurse opened the room and glared at them both. "You're causing a ruckus Uzumaki. Keep it down. As of now you are discharged." The nurse stated blandly, and left without another word.

Gaara frowned though Naruto seemed unperturbed by her obvious distaste of him.

"So…wanna go get some ramen?" Naruto asked as he took his frog wallet from the edge of the bed and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Yes." Gaara moved to head towards the door but paused when Naruto already had a leg out the window.

"Where are you going?" Naruto questioned.

"Umm. Aren't we gonna get ramen?" He answered in confusion.

"Yeah, so come on. The window is faster than walking out through the front doors of the hospital. Besides we're on the first floor. Let's go!" He shouted before jumping out of the window.

Gaara shrugged and jumped out the window, following Naruto to Ichiraku's Ramen. They raced atop the rooftops to save time. They arrived at the small stand and took their seats.

"Hey old man Teuchi! Hey Ayame! How about a bowl of miso ramen?" Naruto yelled.

Ayame stepped out from behind the curtains and smiled. "Who's this Naruto? He's such a cute little boy." She asked carrying a notepad and pencil.

Gaara blushed, not once being called 'cute' in his life. Naruto snickered at Gaara's blush and introduced him to Ayame.

"This is Sabaku no Gaara. I met him last night when I finished my training. I was attacked by some drunken civilians and Gaara protected me." Naruto explained.

Ayame turned to Gaara and smiled sadly. "Thank you for protecting our little Naruto. He's our best customer. We wouldn't want any harm to come to him." She reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair. It was Naruto's turn to blush.

"Argh! I'm fine." Naruto protested indignantly. "Besides, where's old man Teuchi?"

"He's out buying ingredients. He should be back soon. I guess I should take your orders now. You said miso ramen right Naruto?" He nodded and she wrote his order down. "What would you like Gaara? It's on the house since you protected Naruto."

"I'll have the same." He said.

"Great, I'll be back with your orders." She said and disappeared into the kitchen. As she left Teuchi arrived with his bag of groceries. Naruto introduced him to Gaara and explained how they met. Teuchi thanked Gaara as well and offered him a second bowl on the house.

In fifteen minutes Ayame was back with two bowl of miso ramen for each of them.

"You know me so well Ayame." Naruto stated as his mouth salivated as the bowls were placed in front of him.

Both boys devoured their ramen. Gaara enjoyed the ramen Jiraiya had bought him but it paled in comparison to Ichiraku's. They ate a couple more bowls of pork and beef ramen before deciding they were full. They waved goodbye after Naruto paid albeit he did receive a huge discount. Teuchi had the feeling their sales were going to double.

* * *

Naruto sighed contently as they ambled down the road. "That ramen really hit the spot dattebayo!" He proclaimed, patting his full stomach.

Gaara nodded. "It was the best ramen I've ever had."

They walked silently down the road and tried their best to ignore the glares, looks of disgust, and hatred. These looks were all too familiar to Gaara. He mentally sighed. He observed Naruto from the corner of his eye. He smiled like there was no care in the world that could ruin his mood. In part, Gaara could tell some of it was genuine. He figured it was because they were each other's first friend. The rest though, he could tell was masked pain and loneliness. It was a pretty convincing façade to most people. If he didn't experience the same pain then he wouldn't think twice about Naruto's all too happy smile.

Naruto's voice brought him out of his thoughts. "Let's go the park. It's too early for anyone to be at the park at this time."

Gaara nodded and Naruto led the way. As they arrived, Gaara couldn't believe how much greenery there was. Trees, grass, flowers, shrubs, bushes…He shook his head. _I'll have to get used to it._ He thought as he followed Naruto to the swings. Gaara set down his pack and sand gourd.

Naruto took a seat, as did Gaara, and asked the question that had been on his mind the entire morning.

"Why did you protect me?" He asked, staring directly at Gaara.

"You were getting hurt. If I could help, why wouldn't I protect you? I know what it's like to be attacked, and well I didn't want you get hurt anymore. You didn't run away from me. You offered to eat ramen with you. I guess I hoped we could be friends…" Gaara confessed.

Naruto's mind was reeling. Gaara _wanted_ to protect him. He _cared_. He…he wanted to be _friends_. He felt so happy. He smiled involuntarily though frowned quickly as he processed what he said. _I know what it's like to be attacked…_

"Thanks for protecting me. No one has ever tried to help me before. But uh," Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "What do you mean you know what it's like to be attacked?"

"Well, I used to live in the Village Hidden in the Sand. I used to be attacked frequently and I figured you were attack often too because of last night. You didn't even seem bothered by it in the morning. Doesn't it happen often? I mean _does_ it happen often?" Gaara amended.

Naruto frowned. "No. I've only been attack maybe two or three other times. The attackers are usually some drunken civilians that try to kill me on my birthday. There's a festival on that day. During the day, the villagers mourn and set up for the festival. At night they celebrate the Fourth Hokage's sacrifice to save the village from some monster. It's at night when the civilians try to break into my apartment and kill me. They never get far because anbu stay the night to protect me."

Naruto kicked at the ground. "It's always civilians. Ninja have never attacked me. Old man Hokage says his ninja wouldn't dare defy his orders, whatever that means. The civilians always call me a demon or monster, that I killed their families." He whispered softly. "Anyways, the Hokage always punished them. I'm not used to it but when it happens, I'm not gonna let it get me down because I feel like they'll win. I don't want them to think they've affected me." Naruto shook his head. "What about you? Why were you attacked so frequently?" He asked, turning to face Gaara, his face somber.

Gaara sighed sadly. He recounted his story just like he did with the Hokage. He told them about his ability to manipulate sand, treatment from the villagers, the assassination attempts, Matsuri, his uncle Yashamaru, faking his death, leaving Suna, Jiraiya, and his talk with the Hokage. He told Naruto everything but his biju. He _wanted_ to tell him. The Hokage accepted him but he was unsure what Naruto's reaction would be.

When Gaara finished his tale, Naruto was left flabbergasted. Naruto couldn't imagine what it would feel like to have your _father_ send ninjas to _kill_ you. Gaara had siblings that were _afraid_ of him. His _uncle_ called him a monster and too tried to kill him. Naruto could all too clearly see the pain in Gaara's teal eyes. He didn't try to hide it like he did. He winced; Gaara's pain reminded him of his own pain.

Naruto clenched the chains of the swings tightly. Even if Naruto didn't show it, he had mixed feelings. He couldn't understand why he treated the way he was. Was it his prankster ways? A whole village couldn't hate him for his pranks right? When he was younger he did a little investigation of his own. For a whole week he was polite, didn't pull a prank, he was respectful, he tried helping villagers, all in all, he was on his best behavior. This change didn't mean a thing. The villagers were as mean as ever. They refused his help and believed his behavior was part of some demonic plan. Their response disheartened him but he refused to give up.

Naruto then took a different approach. _Is it the villagers or me?_ He observed the villagers for days on rooftops and watched them interact with each other and passing visitors. Naruto was surprised, prideful, and saddened. The villagers were actually quite nice and helpful. If one didn't have enough money to pay, the merchant would lower the price or another villager would pay the difference. Tourists visited the village often and the villagers were all too willing to make them feel welcome. He felt pride that his village was so kind, even to strangers. Soon the pride disappeared and was saddened because that meant one thing. The problem wasn't the villagers. _It was him_.

At this realization he felt anger, confusion, and loneliness. He was angry with the villagers for how they treated him. What did he do? He never hurt anyone with his pranks. Confusion, so much confusion because no one would tell him a thing. What was it about him that the villagers distasted him? And lastly loneliness. The villagers hated him solely because he _existed_. Hated him because he was _Uzumaki Naruto._ He cried so much that night. He wept and bawled until there were no more tears to shed. The next morning he vowed he would never cry again. He would become a strong ninja, become Hokage and be acknowledged by the village.

Naruto smiled sadly as he snapped out of his thoughts. "We're the same aren't we? Hated and ignored and we don't even know why…" He murmured. Naruto swung his legs and started to swing as high as he could in silence.

Gaara winced. _He_ knew why he was hated. He had a biju in his body and his former village feared him because of it. Gaara couldn't understand why _Naruto _was treated like he was.

**Don't think you're so special brat! There are nine other jinchuurikis.** The Ichibi growled loudly, its voice booming inside Gaara's mind. Gaara winced again and looked away from Naruto to gaze at some wild flowers to his left.

_What do you mean?_ He questioned.

**Have you not noticed its presence in that boy? Humans…so pathetic. That boy is also a jinchuuriki. He harbors the nine-tailed fox, also known as the Kyubi. **

Gaara gaped like a fish, eyes wide. _What!?_ He shouted mentally.

**Must I repeat myself you insignificant brat? You heard me. **He stated dryly.

Gaara watched Naruto swing and could only stare. _Naruto's eyes…he hides his pain. He's so lonely like me but…he's stronger than me. He didn't cry despite what happened last night. He faces the world with a smile…even if it's fake…_

**Are you going to continue to ignore me you insolent little human? ** The Ichibi demanded.

_Are you sure he's a jinchuuriki like me? How can you tell?_ Gaara wondered.

**I can sense the presence of my brethren. I know for a fact that boy contains the Kyubi. I'm sure the Kyubi can feel my presence as well. In fact, his chakra is fluctuating. It seems he was mostly dormant these years. Can't blame him. Trapped inside brats like you is the worst kind of hell. Hmm, it seems the boy is becoming aware of the Kyubi's chakra. **The Ichibi commented, amused at Naruto's confused and worried expression.

_Why are you telling me this?_

**For my amusement. I wonder how the boy will react. You were a complete fool when you became aware of my existence. I'd love to see the boy loose himself after this realization. **

_You're horrible!_ Gaara cut their mental connection, the Ichibi's maniacal cackling fading from his awareness. He internally groaned as he mulled over what he should do. _Should I tell him? How will he react?_ He watched Naruto quietly and frowned. He had slowed down and had a hand on his stomach with a slightly frightened expression.

"Naruto, are you okay?" Gaara wondered.

Naruto faced him and gave a Gaara a false smile; a large smile and eyes closed. "I'm fine! Uh, it's just that I think I drank some bad milk! Yeah, uh I was worried cause I drank the whole carton! I was really thirsty and well the milk isn't setting well with me. Hehe." Naruto explained, rubbing the back of his head.

Gaara shook his head. "No. Really, what's wrong?" Gaara asked, dead serious.

Naruto dropped his smile and sighed. _He can tell I think…he can tell when I don't truly smile…_ Naruto grimaced as he felt a foreign chakra stir again.

"Well, this sounds weird but I feel another chakra; like it's inside me. It feels so evil, dark and I don't know. I feel like it's coming from my stomach. Sounds crazy huh? Eh, whatever. Maybe it was the bad milk I drank yesterday right?" Naruto joked.

Gaara sat utterly still. _I…I should tell him. He deserves to know. _

"Naruto, there's something I have to tell you." Gaara started.

"What is it?" Naruto wondered.

"We are alike. More alike than you think. You know I left Suna. I left because I was alone and feared by everyone. I-I know why I'm feared." Gaara confessed.

"You do? Why? It's something probably stupid right?" Naruto asked, and tried to ignore the chakra but it was hard. He felt like something was stirring, waking up and was started to feel scared. It felt like a presence inside him. There was a tugging sensation to his consciousness. He clenched the chains on the swings tighter and tried to listen to Gaara's story.

"Well, no. Naruto…I have…I" Gaara paused and took a deep breath. "I am a jinchuuriki." He saw Naruto's bewildered expression. "When I met Jiraiya, he explained to me what a jinchuuriki was. A jinchuuriki… is a human sacrifice. A jinchuuriki is a person who contains a biju inside their bodies. A biju is a creature of pure evil chakra."

Naruto sat silently for a moment, digesting the new information. His mind was reeling internally. _A biju? A monster of pure evil chakra…A person who contains a biju is a jinchuuriki…and…he's a jinchuuriki!?_

"How? Why? How did you know? Since when?" Naruto asked, firing question after question.

Gaara tried to answer his question in logical order. "I believe I've been a jinchuuriki since birth. Jiraiya explained to me that there was probably a seal on my body that keeps the biju sealed within me. I have the one-tail or the Ichibi sealed inside my body. It's why I can manipulate sand like I can. Uh, because of the Ichibi, I was unable to sleep at all. If I slept he would take control of my body. I never knew this, I was only told by the council to not sleep, no matter what.

So, when I left Suna and met Jiraiya he offered to reinforce my seal to allow me the ability to sleep again. I agreed and he fixed my seal. He had told me to mold some chakra and a seal would appear somewhere on my body. The seal was on my back and I've been able to sleep since then. I uh, have actually spoken to the Ichibi as well." Gaara admitted.

"That's why? That's why everyone is scared of you? Wait what! You've talked to it?" Naruto yelled.

Gaara nodded. "Uh, yes to all. Because of the Ichibi, I'm not able to fully control my sand. The sand I used to protect us last night was moving on its own. It protects me and the council believed I was a threat and that was why my father sent ninja to try to kill me but they all failed. The council wanted me to become Suna's ultimate weapon. I left and I met Jiraiya. Since my seal was more stable I was able to have a telepathic connection to the Ichibi. He's…well he's horrible." Gaara finished.

Naruto nodded as he soaked up all the new information. "Hoping a biju to be nice is a little too much to ask huh?" Naruto joked, as he wondered what telepathic meant.

"You're not afraid of me?" Gaara asked nervously.

Naruto paused and vigorously shook his head. "No. You didn't choose this right? You were only a baby when you became a jinchuuriki right?" Gaara nodded. "The Ichibi is sealed inside you. This Jiraiya person made it stronger. You're the nicest person I've ever met. You've protected me when no else would. You're…my friend…"Naruto declared.

Gaara smiled gratefully. He kicked the dirt on the ground. "I spoke to him a couple minutes ago. He told me something important I feel you should know."

"Yeah? What'd he say?"

Gaara noticed Naruto resting his hand on his stomach again. "The Ichibi strongly believes that…you are also a jinchuuriki." He confessed.

Naruto sat frozen in his seat and stared at Gaara directly in the eyes. _He…He's not lying. He really means it. Me?_

"What?" Naruto whispered, eyes wide.

"The Ichibi felt the presence of a biju inside you. He said that you could feel some of its chakra. According to him, there are nine bijus. He believes you have the nine-tails or the Kyubi." Gaara whispered in reply.

Naruto's jaw dropped. "N-No way. I-I have…Me? When? Kyubi?" He sputtered incoherently. The tugging sensation became stronger and he felt his awareness slip away into the recesses of his mind.

* * *

Naruto found himself knee deep in freezing cold water. She shivered and held himself closer. He looked around in the sewer like tunnel. It was one way only. It was dark with dim lighting and he could feel the most awful and sinister chakra at the end of the tunnel. Begrudgingly he waded his way into the tunnel. _What is this place?_

As he reached the end of the tunnel, he gazed upon a huge brass cage, a piece of paper with the kanji of seal kept the bars shut. Whatever was behind the cage was shrouded in shadows.

Naruto frowned. The chakra was stronger here. Suddenly, bright red eyes opened and peered directly towards Naruto. Naruto flinched and took a couple steps back. _That's not…It's not…It can't be…Is that the…_Naruto thought unintelligibly.

The eyes rose higher and the creature stepped closer to the cage, the dim light illuminating its body. The red eyes belonged to a gigantic fox with reddish orange fur, and most importantly, nine large tails swaying back and forth.

"Y-You're the n-nine tailed f-fox, the K-Kyubi." Naruto stuttered, pointing at the creature.

The fox bared its teeth. "Yes, I am the Kyubi. You are finally aware of my existence. I wondered how long it would take a stupid human like you to figure it out. Your subconscious kept me from having a telepathic link to you." He said in a deep growl.

"What does 'telepathic' even mean?" Naruto blurted. He covered his mouth in embarrassment. He did wonder what it meant, but was gonna ask Gaara, not the Kyubi.

"Pathetic humans. Complete and utter fools. Are you that stupid you worthless human? Of course you are." The Kyubi snarled, answering his own question.

"Hey!" Naruto cried indignantly.

"I sense the chakra of the Ichibi…I see. That boy is his host. That's all I wanted to know. Get out." The Kyubi demanded.

"Huh? That's it?" Naruto blurted again. He internally groaned. _I should think before I speak…_

The Kyubi growled in annoyance; teeth bared. "What do you want brat?"

Naruto took another step back, waving his hands frantically. "N-Nothing. Uh. How's it going?" He asked stupidly.

"Listen _brat_. I've been trapped in this imprisonment for seven years! How do you _think_ 'it's going'!" The Kyubi snarled, his tails flailing about.

Naruto rubbed the back of the neck nervously. "Not too good?" He replied.

The Kyubi roared and cut their telepathic connection with a swipe of his paw.

* * *

"Naruto? Naruto!"

He heard his name being spoken, and Naruto blinked rapidly as he left his mindscape. He felt his body lean backwards and quickly grabbed the chains on the swing before he could fall off.

"Naruto? Are you okay? You spaced out for a minute." Gaara questioned a frown on his face.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine I think." Naruto sighed and faced Gaara, eyebrows furrowed. "I talked to the Kyubi." He stated.

Gaara's eyes widened. "You talked to it?" He repeated.

Naruto nodded. "He wasn't friendly at all. He was in a bad mood. He said he sensed the Ichibi's chakra and realized you were his host and then he kicked me out. He called me stupid and other things too. That jerk!" Naruto cried a scowl on his face.

Gaara sweat dropped. _He just met the strongest biju and he's upset it called him stupid?_ He sighed but couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

"Hey why are you laughing?" Naruto demanded his scowl now directed towards Gaara.

"Nothing. It's just you met the Kyubi and you're more mad about it calling you stupid. I just thought it was a little funny." Gaara explained quickly. Naruto's scowl disappeared and started to mutter some things along 'stupid Kyubi'.

"Naruto…How are you taking this all in stride?" Gaara murmured softly. As Naruto turned to face him, he was surprised to see the seriousness in his eyes, a seriousness that made him look older than his years.

"Believe me, I'm surprised. I wouldn't believe if I hadn't met the Kyubi personally. It's just I finally _understand._ I've always been alone, hated and ignored. For years I never understood _why_. It's weird, I'm _happy_ I understand _why_ I'm treated like I am. Knowing about the truth only makes me want to train harder to become Hokage so everyone will acknowledge me. You're my friend, you accept me even if the village doesn't. That's all I need." Naruto declared with conviction.

Gaara couldn't help but feel awe and admiration. Naruto has an amazing will to survive and to move forward. He was stronger than anyone he'd ever met. Gaara couldn't imagine what would become of him had he stayed in Suna. He was certain Naruto was the friend Jiraiya had told him about, the one who was just like him.

"There's something I want to give you." Gaara said as he stood. He walked over to his pack and rummaged for the scrolls.

"Really? What is it?" Naruto asked excitedly.

Gaara found the scrolls and reclaimed his seat, handing a scroll to Naruto. Naruto took the scroll and stared at it with confusion.

"These are scrolls Jiraiya-sama gave me. He explained to me some things about being a jinchuuriki. He said jinchuuriki have immensely large chakra reserves. Because we have such large reserves, it is more difficult to control our chakra. So, he gave me these two scrolls that contain chakra control exercises. I haven't opened them yet. He said the other scroll would be for a person I would meet that is just like me. I'm positive that person is you." Gaara explained.

"Seriously?" Naruto wondered, looking down at the scroll in his hand. "That's so cool! I can train and finally control my chakra better! It's no wonder I can't do the _henge_ that well. This is awesome! This will be one step closer to being Hokage! Dattebayo!" Naruto shouted leaping from his swing.

Gaara smiled at Naruto's enthusiasm. Naruto turned to Gaara and said. "Come on! Play with me! I've never played with anyone at the park. Come on, I want to play on everything!" Naruto exclaimed, arms waving about.

"Alright. Just put away your scroll. You'll lose it." Gaara requested.

"Right. Hehe." Naruto decided to just let Gaara take care for now, before dragging Gaara all around the park.

* * *

Naruto tried to catch his breath as they lied beside each other on the grass. Naruto never had so much fun in his life. They played hide-and-seek, tag, they raced, played ninja, raced on the swings, slid down the slide, raced on the monkey bars and everything else they could think of. He sighed happily, arms crossed under his head, and a mega-watt smile on his face.

Naruto blinked when Gaara suddenly sat up, a frown on his face. "Naruto what time is it?" Naruto sat up and gazed up at the position of the sun.

"Uh, it's almost noon. Why?" Naruto questioned.

"I have to meet Hokage-sama at noon." Gaara answered as he stood.

"Ojii-san?" Naruto asked as he stood as well.

"Ojii-san?" Gaara repeated bewildered.

"Yeah, Old Man Hokage." Naruto replied dusting stray grass off his shorts. "Why do you have to meet him?"

"He said he'd give me my citizenship papers and tell me more about joining the academy. He said I'll be in your class actually. Uh, why do you call the Hokage ojii-san? Isn't that rude?" Gaara wondered as he gathered his things.

"That's great! Dattebayo! We can be kick-ass ninja together! Oh! You can live with me! My apartment has two rooms." Naruto offered as he walked towards Gaara. "And naw, ojii-san doesn't mind. He never tells me to call him any different. Ojii-san is cool like that." Gaara nodded in understanding.

"We should go." He said.

Naruto nodded and they made their way to the Hokage's office.

* * *

Hiruzen looked up from his desk as he heard steps racings to his office. He knew whose footsteps they belonged to. Suddenly the Third heard loud banging and a shout through his door.

"Hey Ojii-san!" Naruto yelled as he entered the office, Gaara standing next to him with an apologetic expression on his face.

Gaara bowed deeply and spoke, "I'm sorry Hokage-sama for the intrusion."

The Hokage waved his hand dismissively. "It is alright. I am accustomed to such arrivals from Naruto. Naruto has a flair for dramatic entrances." The Third replied. He turned his attention to Gaara. "I hope all is well."

Gaara nodded and responded. "Yes Hokage-sama."

"Good, good. Please take a seat." The Third took out his pipe from his robes and started to clean it. Gaara was starting to wonder if the Hokage had a smoking problem.

"I did not expect Naruto to come along. I'm sorry Naruto, but I must ask you to leave." The Third said as he lit his pipe.

"Ojii-san!" Naruto whined. "Why can't I stay?" He questioned arms crossed and a pout on his face.

"There are some things I must discuss with Gaara that pertains to sensitive information. What we are about to discuss is an S-class secret." The Hokage stated firmly.

Naruto nodded in understanding.

The Third sighed in relief. _That is odd. Naruto is one to put up more of a fight. This once I will not question it._ Hiruzen was about to let Naruto out when Naruto dragged two chairs in front of his desk, and sat patiently in front of the Hokage.

"Naruto?" Sarutobi asked sternly.

"What? We're talking about Gaara being a jinchuuriki right? I already know so I can stay right?" Naruto asked bewildered, looking at Gaara in confusion.

Hiruzen gaped and his pipe fell from his lips and spilled across his desk. He recovered and quickly flashed through a series of seals. "I put up a silencing barrier. Naruto, how did you come across this information?" He asked completely serious, hands folded under his chin.

Gaara nervously took a seat and answered. "I'm sorry Hokage-sama. I was the one who told Naruto about myself." He admitted with a bowed head. The Hokage sighed and nodded a frown on his expression.

"Come on Ojii-san, don't be mad. I don't care if Gaara's a jinchuuriki. I'm a jinchuuriki too, so what does it matter?" Naruto pointed out.

The Third's eyes widen and he fell out of his seat in shock.

"Hokage-sama!" Gaara shouted.

"Ojii-san?" Naruto yelled worriedly.

The Hokage picked himself up and took his seat. He rubbed his temples with both hands and sighed tiredly.

"Naruto, who told you this? This is an S-class offence. The person responsible will be punished." Sarutobi stated grimly.

"I found out by myself Ojii-san. When Gaara told me about his biju I talked to the Kyubi myself. He's a total jerk!" Naruto replied petulantly.

"You spoke with the Kyubi?" The Hokage repeated in disbelief.

"Yeah, the Kyubi could tell Gaara was a jinchuuriki too. He said that was all he wanted to know and he mentally kicked me out. That bastard!" Naruto muttered.

Sarutobi lean back in his chair and picked up his pipe and took a long drag before letting out a breath of smoke.

"Yes. I was going to discuss Gaara's status as a jinchuuriki. I did not want you to know of the truth just yet Naruto. Perhaps until you gained the rank of chunin would I have considered revealing the truth. Nonetheless let us continue; I have a meeting soon."

The boys nodded and waited as the Hokage took out several documents from his desk.

"Firstly, here are your documents Gaara. You are officially a citizen of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. You are also now enrolled in the ninja academy. You will be under the tutelage of Umino Iruka and in the same class as Naruto. I have a box of the previous year's material you'll have to study to prepare for the new year in a month. I'm sure you'll be able to catch up, you a bright boy." The Hokage proclaimed, handing the documents to Gaara.

"Thank you Hokage-sama." Gaara replied accepting the documents.

"Secondly, I propose you live with Naruto here. His apartment has enough room for the both of you." Sarutobi suggested.

"We already talked about this Ojii-san. Gaara's living with me Dattebayo!" Naruto declared.

"Well, I suppose that is settled then if Gaara agrees."

"I'd like to live with Naruto Hokage-sama."

"Alright. I'll be giving you a stipend as well Gaara, just like Naruto. You'll receive the stipend every month until you become adults and graduate from the academy. Once you graduate you'll receive payment for the missions you complete. Understood?" The Hokage asked glancing at both boys. They nodded and Sarutobi continued.

"Now, concerning the both of you…It is best you do not speak of your jinchuuriki status to just anyone. I suggest only revealing the truth to those who accept you for who you are. The council knows of your status Gaara and advises you to be careful to not reveal your jinchuuriki. The village will not know about you. If anyone asks of your ability to manipulate sand, reply that it is your kekkei genkai." The Hokage advised.

"Yes Hokage-sama." Gaara answered.

"Yeah, alright Ojii-san." Naruto said shoving his hands in his pockets. _What's a kekkei genkai?_

"Well then, I believe that is all that must be discussed for now. Gaara the material you need is in this box here next to my desk. If there are no other questions you are dismissed." Hiruzen ordered releasing the silencing jutsu.

"Thank you again Hokage-sama." Gaara replied and bowed. The Third nodded and smiled kindly. Gaara grabbed the box and waited for Naruto to put the chairs back in their place.

"See ya Ojii-san! Come on Gaara, I'm starving. Let's go get ramen!" Naruto shouted and half-dragged Gaara out of the office.

_I certainly was expecting these turn of events. If these boys train hard as I expect them to, they'll become extraordinary ninja. Albeit, short ninja. Naruto already eats too much ramen. It's sure to stunt his growth. _

The Hokage smiled to himself and carried on with the day's work.

* * *

I have not edited this chapter yet, if there are any mistakes let me know. I'd appreciated if anyone leaves any ideas for chakra control exercises for Gaara that relates to his control of his sand. I'll be sure to credit you.

On another little note, I almost died twice this summer in the same day. I tried to turn on the grill and it exploded and I burned the hairs on my arms. Scared. The. Hell. Out. Of. Me.

Anyways,

Ja ne!


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